Hey all! Today on the blog we wanted to do a little product review of one of our newest pieces of furniture – our living room sofa! We bought this just before our little boy was born because while we liked our other sofa, it just wasn’t a great lounging sofa. We wanted to be able to fit mom, dad, baby, maybe a dog and/or cats, all very comfortably on our sofa. So we set off to find the perfect fit. Ultimately we decided on the Haven Sofa by West Elm. This is an honest review of that purchase.
Overview
The Haven Sofa is an 84” sofa, which is sort of middle of the road for couches. Generally you’ll see sofas in the 78”-92” range, so the Haven Sofa is a pretty standard size. This sofa was designed to lounge – “Its deep, comfy seat and low, padded arms give it an incredible sink-right-in quality that’s perfect for the whole family.” (westelm.com). The seat cushions are a foam core wrapped in down alternative, and back cushions are a down alternative and poly fiber blend. Cushions are reversible and covers unzip and are removable for cleaning. It’s made to order in the good ole US of A.
Price – 7 of 10
The sofa is priced at $1499-1799, depending on the material and color you choose. While it’s definitely not the most expensive couch you can get, it certainly warrants consideration and isn’t a purchase you’d want to just “give it a try.” Sofas from West Elm aren’t cheap, and this was definitely more of a splurge item for us. All that said, the value for this sofa is pretty good, as I think it’s one of West Elms better lines.
IMPORTANT: West Elm runs specials and sales very frequently, and I’ve seen this sofa on sale a number of times. In fact, at the moment I’m writing this, there is a 20% off sale that would apply to this couch, bringing the price down to $1199.20 – $1439.20. That’s a big savings! So if you can wait for a sale, that can help a lot.
Comfort – 8 of 10
Comfort is in the eye of the lounger – but I will say that I find this couch VERY comfortable. It’s not so soft that it swallows you up, but it isn’t stiff in the least either. It’s a very nice balance as far as the softness goes. The only thing I sometimes notice is that the padding on the arms isn’t super comfortable, BUT we keep a bunch of pillows on our sofa, so this is no problem for us whatsoever. If you don’t have any extra pillows or anything, the cushioning on the arms would probably not suffice for lounging. But again, that’s an easy fix with some pillows, which you probably have on the sofa anyway.
The couch itself is a really deep couch – whether I want to lounge back with my feet up on the coffee table, or lay sideways the length of the couch, there is plenty of room to do either. It’s definitely deeper than other couches we tested out during our search process, but I really like that in a lounging couch.
Another note on dimensions – this couch is pretty low to the ground. It works great for us for it to be low, but it might not be exactly what you’re looking for. Again, nothing wrong with being low, just important to note along the way.
The Performance Washed Canvas is also really comfortable. It isn’t rough or rigid like some canvas can be (I assume that the “performance washing” softens the material). It is a really comfortable and not stiff in the least. It’s a great material for a comfortable sofa.
Durability – 9 of 10
We’ve had our Haven Sofa for almost a year now, and we are really happy with the durability! We rotate the cushions as needed to avoid sagging, and the material has taken everything we’ve thrown at it! We have a baby, a dog, and 2 cats, all of whom spend a good amount of time on this sofa, and the sofa still looks new! It’s a very sturdy construction, and we’ve been really happy with the durability.
As far as the durability of the performance washed canvas, again I’d say we are really pleased with it. We have everything coming into contact with it from animal claws to baby drool, and it seems to handle everything like a champ. No discoloration – just a comfortable, durable material.
Ease of Cleaning
Like I mentioned above, the cushion covers are zip-up, which means you can remove them to clean if desired. This is a really nice feature, although we haven’t really needed to.
The important part of keeping this sofa clean is to pre-treat it with some sort of fabric protector like Vectra. Vectra is what we used based on the recommendation from an upholsterer we work with in town, and it has worked great. The basic point is that as soon as you get your sofa, take a day to apply the fabric protector (you can’t sit on it for a certain amount of time). That will save you loads of headache in the long run!
Because we treated the material with Vectra, any time we get a spill, we simply spot clean with Thieves Cleaner and it does the trick. I can’t recommend highly enough that you protect your sofa with Vectra or some sort of fabric protector. It has really made all the difference.
Summary
If you’re looking for a really comfortable and durable couch, I think that you would be really happy with the Haven Sofa. It definitely isn’t the fanciest couch, but it is sturdy, comfortable, stylish, and durable. I would HIGHLY recommend treating it with fabric protector to help keep it clean from stains or spills. I would also HIGHLY recommend going to West Elm and giving it a try before buying! This is one of their standard lines, and they almost always will have one in stock for you to sit on.
photos: West Elm
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Has the fabric piled?
It hasn’t pilled! Again, we’ve only had it about a year now, but it’s held up very well thus far.
Has the fabric piled?
It hasn’t pilled! Again, we’ve only had it about a year now, but it’s held up very well thus far.
Your photos look like the fabric has a blue tint. But the photos from West Elm seem to be a very true gray. What would you say the actual color of the couch is in your home?
Hey Brian,
We’ve been happy with the durability! The top cushions will sag if you don’t keep them fluffed, but we just make sure to fluff and/or flip them regularly and they’ve been just fine.
Hi Mandy,
It’s definitely a light gray when you see it in person! I would say it has some blue undertones, so it could appear that way, especially depending on the surroundings. But in person, it’s definitely gray!
Your photos look like the fabric has a blue tint. But the photos from West Elm seem to be a very true gray. What would you say the actual color of the couch is in your home?
Hi Mandy,
It’s definitely a light gray when you see it in person! I would say it has some blue undertones, so it could appear that way, especially depending on the surroundings. But in person, it’s definitely gray!
Any update on durability? In your close up image it looks like the cushions were already sagging, the seams where the stitching exist don’t look straight and they are sitting lower than expected.
Hey Brian,
We’ve been happy with the durability! The top cushions will sag if you don’t keep them fluffed, but we just make sure to fluff and/or flip them regularly and they’ve been just fine.
Loved your review! We are looking at this couch and fabric but I have 2 kids and am wondering how the fabric cleans when sticky fingers leave ketchup, chocolate or really anything on it? Our current couch is a dark charcoal so this would be a lot lighter for us.
Hi Katie,
So we have a toddler as well. It has stood up pretty well against sticky fingers as long as we spot treat it with a good fabric cleaner pretty quickly after encountering said sticky fingers 🙂
In addition, we also treated the couch with Vectra Fabric Protector (https://rstyle.me/+hpizYpVaPdPjMuw0GUXbfA) as soon as it was delivered. This comes highly recommended from some fabric people we work with, and I think it’s really, really helped!
Loved your review! We are looking at this couch and fabric but I have 2 kids and am wondering how the fabric cleans when sticky fingers leave ketchup, chocolate or really anything on it? Our current couch is a dark charcoal so this would be a lot lighter for us.
Hi Katie,
So we have a toddler as well. It has stood up pretty well against sticky fingers as long as we spot treat it with a good fabric cleaner pretty quickly after encountering said sticky fingers 🙂
In addition, we also treated the couch with Vectra Fabric Protector (https://rstyle.me/+hpizYpVaPdPjMuw0GUXbfA) as soon as it was delivered. This comes highly recommended from some fabric people we work with, and I think it’s really, really helped!
I see this sofa comes in 40" standard depth or 44" extra deep. Was wondering which one you have?
Hi Suzanne,
We just got the 40" depth, and honestly, it feels very deep!
I see this sofa comes in 40" standard depth or 44" extra deep. Was wondering which one you have?
Hi Suzanne,
We just got the 40" depth, and honestly, it feels very deep!
Great review! I just got the couch and one of my cats won’t stop scratching it. Do you have any tips to protect the couch from their claws? Thanks!
Oh no! Our cats don’t scratch it too much, but we have used some cat scratch spray at times, which deters them from scratching certain places. I’m sure you could pick some up on amazon!
Hi! We dilute thieves cleaner with water, as the thieves cleaner instructs on the bottle. We just keep a glass spray bottle of diluted thieves cleaner around for whatever we need to clean!
Great review! I just got the couch and one of my cats won’t stop scratching it. Do you have any tips to protect the couch from their claws? Thanks!
Oh no! Our cats don’t scratch it too much, but we have used some cat scratch spray at times, which deters them from scratching certain places. I’m sure you could pick some up on amazon!
Hi! How exactly do you spot clean it? Do you dilute the Thieves cleaner at all? We just got this in the sectional version and absolutely love it!
Hi! We dilute thieves cleaner with water, as the thieves cleaner instructs on the bottle. We just keep a glass spray bottle of diluted thieves cleaner around for whatever we need to clean!
Hi! I purchaed this sofa 2 weeks ago and noticed creaking sounds in the middle of the couch. Have you experienced this? Thanks!!
That’s odd – we haven’t experienced that!
Hi! I purchaed this sofa 2 weeks ago and noticed creaking sounds in the middle of the couch. Have you experienced this? Thanks!!
That’s odd – we haven’t experienced that!
Hello. I know it has been a while, but I was considering this sofa and wondered if you purchased it in the performance washed canvas feather gray? I don’t want an extremely dark gray color, something in the lighter gray hue. Thank you.
Hello. I know it has been a while, but I was considering this sofa and wondered if you purchased it in the performance washed canvas feather gray? I don’t want an extremely dark gray color, something in the lighter gray hue. Thank you.
Hello. I know it has been a while, but I was considering this sofa and wondered if you purchased it in the performance washed canvas feather gray? I don’t want an extremely dark gray color, something in the lighter gray hue. Thank you.
Yes, we did get the performance washed canvas in feather gray. It’s definitely a lighter gray, not dark at all!
Hi Jenn,
We didn’t have any noticeable change in color after applying the Vectra! We’ve reapplied from time to time and haven’t noticed any discoloration.
Hello. I know it has been a while, but I was considering this sofa and wondered if you purchased it in the performance washed canvas feather gray? I don’t want an extremely dark gray color, something in the lighter gray hue. Thank you.
Yes, we did get the performance washed canvas in feather gray. It’s definitely a lighter gray, not dark at all!
Bought this sofa based on your review! Did you notice any change to the color after spraying with Vectra?
Hi Jenn,
We didn’t have any noticeable change in color after applying the Vectra! We’ve reapplied from time to time and haven’t noticed any discoloration.
Thank you very much for your help!
Hi, Do you know anything about the performance velvet fabric for this sofa. I’m wondering about the cleaning capabilities
Hi Diane,
We haven’t tested anything with the performance velvet fabric. Generally, performance fabrics are very easy to clean. In fact, most liquids can just be wiped away without any cleaner whatsoever, depending on the brand of fabric. it might be worth giving West Elm a call and asking them about the performance velvet.
Brett,
This is a VERY comfortable couch for binge-watching. Can confirm with personal experience 🙂
Hi, Do you know anything about the performance velvet fabric for this sofa. I’m wondering about the cleaning capabilities
Hi Diane,
We haven’t tested anything with the performance velvet fabric. Generally, performance fabrics are very easy to clean. In fact, most liquids can just be wiped away without any cleaner whatsoever, depending on the brand of fabric. it might be worth giving West Elm a call and asking them about the performance velvet.
Would this be comfortable for binge watching shows?
Brett,
This is a VERY comfortable couch for binge-watching. Can confirm with personal experience 🙂
What depth size is your sofa ?
It is the standard depth!
What depth size is your sofa ?
It is the standard depth!
i’m considering this sofa. you’ve had it two years or so—do you still recommend it?
Hi there,
i would still recommend it! It has been a great sofa and served our family very well, held up well, still very comfortable, etc.
i’m considering this sofa. you’ve had it two years or so—do you still recommend it?
Hi there,
i would still recommend it! It has been a great sofa and served our family very well, held up well, still very comfortable, etc.
Have you had to wash your cushion covers yet? I’ve had this couch for about 4 years and I need to wash the back cushion covers. I know you used a protector, but wondering if you’ve had to wash them in the washer yet.